When you are ready to declutter your home and start selling some of your items online, you’ll want to do a little bit of research, have a flexible timeline, and have a basic amount of technical savvy.
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Today we are sharing our top 5 tips for selling your stuff online, and as a bonus, we’ve created a free download of How to Sell Your Items Online Cheat Sheet.

The first and easiest way to figure out how to sell your stuff online is to simply Google it.

You want to list your item on the site that has the biggest audience of potential buyers. For instance, if you were selling a set of golf clubs online, Ebay may be the best bet.  But if you were selling custom hand-embroidered tea towels, Etsy is where you want to be. Selling antiques and collectibles often is easier on sites dedicated to those items.

It will come as no surprise that selling your stuff online on Ebay and Amazon are popular methods.

Both platforms have incredibly large audiences, thereby increasing your chances of selling your item quickly.  There are fees associated with using both services, so be sure you are aware of what you are agreeing to before listing your items.  

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As mentioned above, Etsy is a great site for selling handmade and craft items online. If you have beads, buttons, fabrics, and vintage items to sell, be sure to give Etsy a look.

Ebid is a site that is similar to Ebay, but doesn’t have the same amount of traffic. If you’re selling on Ebid, you’ll want to market your items elsewhere, too.  On the plus side, however, EBid has lower fees than the big guys.

Bonanza is a great option for selling more unique and quirky items.  Bonanza has a large audience, has no listing fee, and a low commission percentage compared to Ebay.

Collectors.com is a great option to sell your collectibles online.

The best thing about selling your stuff online locally is that you pay zero fees for listing and selling.

If you live in an area that has an active Craigslist community, try listing your item there.  Photos are key to selling your items. Use common sense and caution when meeting with buyers: only accept cash and meet in public places.

If you live in a community without a lot of Craiglist action, selling your stuff in Facebook Groups is a great option.  Find local Facebook groups to list your items and be sure to follow all the rules. You’ll keep all the profits of selling via Facebook

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There are several apps that let you create accounts and list your items for other members to see.

Apps like LetGo, OfferUp, and 5Miles, etc. are certainly options, however, many users complain about spammers, failure to show up to buy, etc.  Be sure to read reviews from users before signing up for an app.

Learning how to sell your items online takes a little bit of research, a flexible timeline, and some technical savvy, but it also can get you the best price. If you are ready to declutter your home and make a little money in the process, try one of our five steps above.  

Leave a comment to let us know how your sale went!

Professional Disclaimer: The ideas, recommendations, and opinions on this website, blog, and made in person are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered legal, financial, or medical advice. I am not an attorney, doctor, or licensed financial professional. Sage Organizing Co., LLC is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content of this website, blog, or in-person discussions. If you need specific legal, financial, or medical advice, consult a professional in your area.

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​Whatever you reasons are for selling offline, we are here to share our 4 smart ideas for selling your stuff offline...and one really dumb one. 

There are several reasons why you may choose to sell you stuff offline instead of online.

​Maybe you have a huge amount of items to sell and don't want to deal with managing 100's of online sales.  Perhaps the items, like furniture and antiques, are difficult to pack and ship.  Or maybe the seller isn't comfortable with the technology of selling online. 

​Contacting local consignment shops about selling your items is a great option, but there are some drawbacks. 

Consignment shops generally are interested in good-condition furniture, antiques, and home décor.  Always call the shop before hauling your items there to see if they are accepting new product. Sending pictures ahead of time is highly recommended.

If you enter into a contract with the consignment shop, they will handle the set-up, pricing and (usually) the remnants. You will receive your payment from them anywhere from 90-120 days.

Some drawbacks you may want to consider:

• You may have to haul the item to them.
• Most shops take a 40-50% commission on the item
• You may have to pick items up that don’t sell

Bottom line: Consignment shops are a great option for some of your items, but be sure you understand every aspect of the contract before you sign.

​If you have a lot of items (of varied quality) to sell, having a yard sale may be right for you. The biggest benefit of a yard sale is that you keep 100% of the profits.

There are a couple key points to having a successful yard sale:

• Advertise, advertise, advertise.  Get the word out!
• Make your sale easy to shop.  Organize like items together and display things neatly.  No one likes to dig through boxes.

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On the downside, yard sales can be a tremendous amount of set-up and tear-down work. Be ready to haggle: negotiating is part of the yard-sale culture. Be sure you have an “exit strategy” to discard or donate items that don’t sell. 

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If you have an entire house (and garage, attic and/or basement) of things to sell, running your own weekend-long estate sale is an option.

Just like yard sales, it is vitally important to advertise as much as possible. The more traffic you have at your sale, the better your chances of selling things are.

Items should be displayed in an easy-to-shop way and clearly priced. Be ready to help customers haul their purchases out of the house.
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Estate sales generally follow a structured price-reduction schedule (e.g. full price Friday and Saturday afternoon, 25% off Saturday night, 50%-75% on Sunday.).  Be sure your customers are aware of how your sale is running to avoid problems. 

Don’t assume jewelry, fine collectibles and gold/silver are fakes or junk!  You could literally be throwing money in the garbage.

Research reputable jewelers or certified personal property appraisers in your area and have them review the items. They may be able to connect you with buyers for valuable items.
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Any fee you pay to an appraiser is worth saving you the heartache of accidentally throwing away a treasure. 

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The one advantage of selling your valuables to a pawn shop is that you get cash quickly. However, you pay for that desperation.

Chances are that an item you sell to a pawn shop will only get you 25% of the item’s value. You are far better off selling your items anywhere else.  Don’t let reality TV shows give you the idea that you’ll make a great profit at a pawn shop.
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Remember, if you sell your item to a pawn shop, they have the right to sell your item.  

Selling your stuff offline can be a great idea if you have a large number of things to sell in a relatively short time frame.

Consigning, yard sales, and estate sales are a fair amount of work for you, but you’ll see cash in-hand fairly quickly. 

Be sure to have a reputable jeweler or certified appraiser review items before throwing them out. 

Professional Disclaimer: The ideas, recommendations, and opinions on this website, blog, and made in person are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered legal, financial, or medical advice. I am not an attorney, doctor, or licensed financial professional. Sage Organizing Co., LLC is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content of this website, blog, or in-person discussions. If you need specific legal, financial, or medical advice, consult a professional in your area.

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Post-Organizing: Detox + Declutter Your Home After the Holidays

As Americans continue to live in larger and larger homes, we find ourselves able to store a huge amount of sentimental clutter...and we do not get rid of it. Ever. 

As an Estate Clearing Professional and Professional Organizer, I see entire rooms, closets, attics, garages, and even cars overflowing with things people can't get rid of for sentimental reasons. People are using their homes as storage facilities instead of places to actively live their lives. 

In this post I'll be sharing some of my professional tips to  help you get rid of some (but not all) of your sentimental clutter.  

​The first step in getting rid of your sentimental clutter is to mentally prepare yourself.
Take some time to think about why you are holding on to so many sentimental items. Is it because you truly treasure the item? Or does the item remind you of a person?

​Remember, a thing is just a thing, not a person. Don't let your love for a Grandfather morph into love of a thing that reminds you of that him. 

Ask yourself some questions as you go through items

• Does it make me feel happy? Keeping mementos of sad times or events doesn't make your life better. Let it go.
• Does my family expect me to keep this? Family expectations can be difficult to manage.  Have you become  the Keeper of all Historical Photos Since the Beginning of Time, but no one can identify any of the people in those pictures? Let them go. 
• Is keeping it a joy or a burden? Are you excited that you have this item? Or is it more like “I guess I should keep this”? Let it go. 

Give yourself permission to get rid of items that cause, sadness, guilt, burden or zero emotion.

If you decide to let the item go, that is your choice:  you do not need to announce it to your family. Just let it go. 

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​
Help Organize Your Aging Parents (While They are Young + Healthy)
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​Kick off your efforts with small projects like greeting cards or souvenir plastic cups. Do you really need to keep a card with a hastily scrawled signature? How many plastic souvenir cups do you actually use? Getting a taste of success, no matter how small, inspires you to keep getting successes.

Taken care of all the easy little things?  Then move on to a little bigger (but not huge) project. Try clearing out your t-shirt drawers of all the shirts you don’t really wear, you just keep because of the sentimental memories.

How about all your old college textbooks, student directories, and papers?  You may want to keep the directory, just to see the old photos, but you should be able to feel confident about donating or recycling all the books and papers.  I guarantee you are not going to need your essay on post-modern theory in 19th century American literature ever again. 
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Remember, you don’t need to get rid of ALL your sentimental items.  Just weed out the clutter so you have room for the things that truly mean something to you.  

​Be choosy about what you let take up space in your home.  You do not have to keep every single item in a collection.  Keep the best 1-2 items, and let the rest go.

Having a tough time letting the collection go?  Photograph the items!  

What if you DO have enough room in your house to store all your sentimental clutter?  There is still space in the attic!  You can shove one more box underneath the stairs?  Skip right on to Step #5!

If you’re struggling with getting rid of a sentimental item, consider giving it a “soft goodbye”. 

Let’s say you’ve weeded out 20 old sports or concert t-shirts that you don’t need anymore, but can’t bear to discard or donate. Using the “soft goodbye”, allow yourself to wear it one last time and then instead of washing it, put it into the Goodwill bag. This lets you ease out of owning it without a blunt end. 

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​Think about it: are you treating your sentimental items like you care about them? Or are they boxed up and shoved in the attic, basement, or back of the guest room closet, creating clutter??  If you care about something enough to keep it, shouldn’t you give it the respect it deserves?

Have tons of photos? Scan them in and set them as a slideshow on your computer. How fun is it to randomly see your 8th grade graduation photo? Put them in a pretty bowl on your coffee table for guests and family to look through and change the pictures out every couple of months.

Honor items that truly have a place in your heart by displaying them in your home.  Have a ceramic bowl you made in art class in 3rd grade?  Pull it out of storage and use it as a change bowl.  Keeping you child's baby blanket they came home from the hospital in?  Cut it into dish towels so you can use and enjoy seeing it everyday! 

The keys to successfully getting rid of your sentimental clutter are mentally preparing, breaking the project down into small steps, and giving yourself permission to let things go. Think about the things you allow to take up space in your home and display or honor things that truly mean something to you. 

Professional Disclaimer: The ideas, recommendations, and opinions on this website, blog, and made in person are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered legal, financial, or medical advice. I am not an attorney, doctor, or licensed financial professional. Sage Organizing Co., LLC is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content of this website, blog, or in-person discussions. If you need specific legal, financial, or medical advice, consult a professional in your area.

Nobody Wants the Family Heirlooms: What to Do When It Happens to You
with free Declutter +Downsize Family Heirlooms Game Plan
Help Organize Your Aging Parents (While They are Young + Healthy)
with free printable: Two Easy-ish Conversations to Have with Your Aging Parents
Mentally Prepare for Downsizing Your Home: 4 Tips to Control Your Emotions
with free ​Downsizing Your Home Emotional Roadmap
​Mom, We Have to Talk: 5 Ways to Discuss Downsizing with your Aging Parents
with free Discussion Cheat Sheet
Assess the Mess: How to Plan Out Downsizing a Home
includes free Room-by-Room Checklist

When nobody wants the family heirlooms anymore, what can you do?

As more and more of the US population ages, downsizes, and passes away there is a tremendous amount of STUFF flooding the market. Younger generations are faced with inheriting a sizable amount of family heirlooms, but their homes are already full. It seems nobody wants the family heirlooms anymore.  So what can you do when it happens to you?  
 
In this article, we'll discuss some options for what to do with the family heirlooms when nobody wants them. As a bonus for readers, we are sharing this free printable Declutter + Downsize Family Heirlooms Game Plan.
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Perhaps the toughest thing to deal with is managing expectations about family heirlooms. ​Items that have been in the family for decades are automatically passed down to the next generation...whether they like it or not. 

Obviously, there are many family heirlooms that are truly treasured and gratefully accepted.  However, there are also heirlooms that younger generations accept out of a sense of duty, guilt, or without even being asked if they want. 

Burden vs. Joy
If you're soon-to-be-inheriting, carefully consider what you honestly want to accept.  Accepting a family heirloom should be a joy, not a burden to carry. If you do not have the space for the item, respectfully decline to take it. If the item causes you emotional or financial distress, don't take it. Think of it this way: would your grandmother want you to have to pay for a storage unit so you can keep her dining room table? 

The Guilt
Often times, it is guilt that forces us to take things we really don't want. Human beings have the tendency to merge their emotions for a person into the THINGS that person owned.  But remember: it is just a THING, not a person.  Your love for your great aunt isn't lessened because you don't want her silver tea set.  You still love her...you just don't love tea sets. 

Things Nobody Ever Wants
There are things that get held onto and passed down that nobody ever wants.  Letters written in anger, racist antiques, and ashes of the deceased top the list. If an heirloom makes you feel sad, ashamed, or unjustly burdened, give yourself permission to get rid of it.  The things that live in your house should make you feel happy.

Tacky and outdated collections are another thing nobody ever wants.  Consider selling or donating items you know you will never even take out of the box. 

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​If you have family heirlooms in your home, consider different options for using them.  For instance, if you inherited gold rimmed wine glasses, think about using them for your everyday glasses. Sure, the gold will wear off, but if nobody wants to take the glasses in the future, isn't it better to get some use out of them?

Another idea is to frame the heirloom and display it in your house.  Baptismal gowns, old letters and recipes, photographs, and military awards all lend themselves to display in shadowboxes. Have items professionally framed to preserve them. 

Perhaps one of the best ideas I've come across is giving the item a "Victory Lap". Let's say you've inherited the family wedding china...which has been packed away and sitting in your attic since you got it.  Using the Victory Lap concept, you would make an event out of using it one last time.

Unpack the china and set your table with it.  Invite as many family members as you can for dinner to use the china, even if it's just takeout pizza. During dinner, reminisce about the family member that owned the china and take lots of photographs. Offer each family member a place setting to take home. Pack up and donate the remaining pieces to charity.  Be sure to share the photos with your family. 

​If you've inherited a large collection that you do not want or have the space for, think about cutting it down.  For instance, if you've come into a large collection of Depression glass, choose 1 or 2 meaningful pieces and sell or donate the rest. 

If it is a collection you'll never use or display, give yourself permission to let it go.  You may feel guilty for selling or donating am family heirloom collection that a grandparent spent years building, but remember: theses are just THINGS, not a person.   You still love your grandparent even if you donated their Depression glass collection.

​Consider the historical significance of family heirlooms or collections and donate items where they will be treasured.    For example, wartime memorabilia may be appreciated by the local VFW post.  Old sports trophies and yearbooks may be of interest to the local high school. Research local historical societies, museums, universities, and service organizations. Things that nobody in your family wants may be welcomed elsewhere. 

​When selling antiques and family heirlooms, it is important to do your research.  Sometimes a simple online search will give you a rough idea whether an items holds any financial value or not. 

The best advice is to consult with a reputable certified appraiser.  Having a professional appraiser look at your items is worth the reasonable fee they charge.  Professionals can keep you from throwing away things your thought were fakes (such as jewelry) and give you an idea of what an item may be worth. 

If selling items yourself, use extreme caution. Be sure to only accept cash from buyers, meet at a safe public location, and have another person with you.  You can never be too careful.  

​Related Articles:

• Mom, We Have to Talk: 5 Ways to Discuss Downsizing with your Aging Parents
• Assess the Mess: How to Plan out Downsizing a Home
• 4 Smart Ideas for Selling Your Stuff Offline...and 1 Really Dumb One
  
• ​​Sometimes You Can’t Do it on Your Own: When it’s Time to Throw in the Towel and Hire an Estate Clearing Professional to Help you Finish the Job.

When nobody wants the family heirlooms, it can be difficult to figure out what to do.  You have several options, from saying "no" to taking the items to selling the items. Weigh your options carefully and make the decision that works best for you, your family, and your circumstance. 

Professional Disclaimer: The ideas, recommendations, and opinions on this website, blog, and made in person are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered legal, financial, or medical advice. I am not an attorney, doctor, or licensed financial professional. Sage Organizing Co., LLC is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content of this website, blog, or in-person discussions. If you need specific legal, financial, or medical advice, consult a professional in your area.